Maurice Costello
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Maurice Costello
Biography
Though many have followed in his illustrious foot-steps, Maurice Costello, known as the "Dimpled Darling," was one of the first big Broadway stars to appear in movies. Prior to making the switch, he was a theatrical star for 15 years. In film, he first worked with Edison until 1908 when he began working for Vitagraph. Costello's best-known movie role was that of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities. He continued playing leads through the mid-1920s when he became a character actor until he retired in the early 1940s. Occasionally, he directed his own films. ~ Sandra Brennan, RoviFilmography:
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Maurice Costello
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Maurice Costello
| Maurice Costello | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Maurice George Costello February 22, 1877 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 29, 1950 (aged 73) Hollywood, California |
| Occupation | actor, director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1905 - 1945 |
| Spouse | Mae Costello (1902-1927) Ruth Reeves (1939-1941) |
Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 - October 29, 1950)[1] was an American prominent vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s, who later played a principal role in early American films, as both a leading man, supporting player and a director.
Costello was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Ellen (née Fitzgerald; born 1853) and Thomas Costello (born 1852). He appeared in his first motion picture in 1905, in which he had the honour of appearing in the first serious film to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes in the movie Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, in which Costello played the title role. He continued to work for Vitagraph, being a member of the first motion picture stock company ever formed, playing opposite Florence Turner. Among some of his best known pictures are A Tale of Two Cities, The Man Who Couldn't Beat God and For the Honor of the Family. After an absence of some years he returned to the screen. He was married to actress Mae Costello (née Altschuk). His daughters were the actresses Dolores Costello and Helene Costello, grandson John Drew Barrymore, and great granddaughter Drew Barrymore. He was one of the world's first leading men in early American cinema, but sadly, like a lot of other silent screen stars, he found the transition to "talkies" extremely difficult, and his leading man status was over. However, Costello was a trouper, and continued to appear in movies, often in small roles and bit parts, right up until his death in 1950.
Maurice Costello also discovered Moe of the Three Stooges (Moses Harry Horwitz) who as a teenager ran errands and got lunches for the actors at the Vitagraph Studios at no charge. This impressed Csotello who brought him in and introduced him to other leading actors of the day. Moe then gained small parts in many of the Vitagraph movies but unfortunately most of these were destroyed by fire that swept the studios in 1910.
Costello died at the age 73 in 1950 in Los Angeles, California and was interred at Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles, a Catholic cemetery.[2]
Filmography
- Lady from Louisiana (1941)
- Eagle of the Night (1928)
- Johnny Get Your Hair Cut (1927)
- Virtuous Liars (1924)
- Conceit (1921)
- The Crimson Stain Mystery (1916)
- A Tale of Two Cities (1911)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)
- Antony and Cleopatra (1908)
References
External links
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Mentioned in
Mr. Barnes of New York
(1914 Drama Film)
The Crimson Stain Mystery
(1916 TV Series)
Paid in Full
(1914 Film)
John Blythe Barrymore
(Actor, Drama/Comedy)
Black Feather
(1928 Film)
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